What is There Not to Love: ‘Once Upon a Broken Heart’ perpetuates stereotypical female delusion

In “What is There Not to Love,” columnist Ashley Diaz ’29 explores the depiction and perpetuation of gender stereotypes in popular fantasy novels.

Editor’s Note: This article is a review and includes subjective thoughts, opinions and critiques.

To my sister’s dismay, today’s review critiques one of her favorite novels. Sorry, Leslie, I had to! 

“Once Upon a Broken Heart,” Stephanie Garber’s 2021 romantasy book, has garnered praise for its intricate world-building and (allegedly) compelling female protagonist. “Once Upon a Broken Heart” takes place in the fictional Meridian Empire, where 17-year-old Evangeline Fox is conflicted over whether she should stop her true love, Luc, from marrying her step-sister, Marisol. 

Evangeline eventually decides to make a deal with a Fate, an evil individual who can grant you any wish, as long as you strike a bargain with them. She colludes with a Fate named the Prince of Hearts (also known as Jacks). Jacks promises to stop the wedding. In exchange, Evangeline owes Jacks three kisses to whomever he desires, at whatever time. 

It may seem like three kisses can be given pretty easily, but bargaining with Jacks means Evangeline is tied to him for as long as he desires. Hence, as the novel progresses, Evangeline tries to free herself from Jacks and all the trouble he gets her into. Without spoiling too much, the book closes with Evangeline trying to clear her name after being wrongly accused of murder.

Some may view Evangeline as a strong female character: a resourceful woman who goes after what she wants. I have a different perspective. What disturbs me about Evangeline is that she is unwilling to see that her “true love” never loved her like she did him. After all, if Luc genuinely loved her, he wouldn’t be marrying someone else, much less her step-sister. 

“Luc had written her letters, but they were usually brief, like the note she’d found last night,” Evangeline recalls. “He’d never called her his most precious treasure or mentioned his heart beating.”

Evangeline is delusional and unwilling to accept the truth. Fallible women exist in the real world — myself included, all humans are flawed beings. Unfortunately, Garber’s portrayal of Evangeline perpetuates the long-standing conceptualization of women as “silly” creatures. But not every woman is love-sick. Not every woman would conspire to ruin a man’s wedding simply because she can’t accept the truth that he does not love her. 

My experience at Stanford only confirms this portrayal is a false one. All my female classmates worked hard to get here, as did I, and I just don’t think we would all be like Evangeline. Therefore, I do not think all women, especially here, would act or think like Evangeline. It’s a narrative that fails to reflect the sensible women of Stanford.

Evangeline later regrets bargaining with Jacks, but only because he plans to turn everyone to stone. Just as Evangeline wished, his actions would stop Luc and Marisol from marrying, as they would not be able to say their vows. Evangeline does not want Luc to turn into stone, however, so she takes his place as a stone statue, clinging on to the hope that her “true love” will save her. 

Here, Garber paints her female protagonist as not just foolish, but deceptive. When life returns to normal, the whole town loves Evangeline. They believe she was the one who was selfless and brave in rescuing them all. In reality, that couldn’t be further from the truth. It was another Fate who saved the townspeople, and for selfish reasons (He wants to get into the good graces of the crown). 

Does Evangeline ever correct them? Disturbingly, she does not. Women are already often portrayed as “evil” and “manipulative,” from how they get ahead in the workforce to how they navigate romance. Do we really need another book reinforcing this idea? 

What saddens me is that Marisol, Evangeline’s stepsister, becomes known as the “Cursed Bride,” a title that follows Marisol everywhere she goes. Evangeline witnesses all the pain Marisol feels, but upon learning how society is shaming her step-sister, she remains silent: “[Evangeline] knew she couldn’t tell Marisol the truth, not today. Evangeline had just spent the last six weeks alone as stone. She wasn’t ready to be alone again, but she would be if anyone learned what she’d done.” There’s a lack of female solidarity in the novel, which, if added, would have reminded us of the importance of standing up for each other in crucial times. 

Evangeline’s character reminds us that we are all imperfect — evil, selfish and dishonest — but that does not mean every woman is like that. I have never met more selfless people than my aunt, my sister or my female friends. I have never met a woman in my life who was boy-crazy and willing to hurt others because of said boy. Sure, it can happen, but don’t go around thinking every woman you meet will be like Evangeline… including those here at the Farm.

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